Countries across the world have seen a growing gap in mathematics performance between low-SES children and those from wealthier backgrounds. The issue of inequality not only relates to student performance, but also to schooling--as defined by the mathematics curriculum and its distribution of the related opportunities to learn. Whether…

Analysis in mid-April 2020--in the early throes of the pandemic--found that less than 25 percent of low-income countries were providing any type of remote learning, while close to 90 percent of high-income countries were. On top of cross-country differences in access to remote learning, within-country differences are also staggering. For example,…

Measuring the distance between countries and the goal of equality of opportunity in education has been the focus of recent contributions in the economic literature, which have concentrated either on intergroup gaps in access to a given level of studies or on intergroup gaps in educational achievement. We argue that both aspects are important and…

This article examines cross-country variations in adult skills inequality and asks why skills in Anglophone countries are so unequal. Drawing on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's recent Survey of Adult Skills and other surveys, it investigates the differences across countries and country groups in inequality in both…

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in the Arab World are still in their infancy. Many Arab countries are now starting to launch their MOOC platforms; however, there are only a few who have actually implemented such systems. This paper will explore online learning, in particular the rise of MOOCs around the world and their impact on the Arab…

Based on four standards of measurement, it appears that the educational systems of Western Europe fail to provide a significant equalizing influence. The four criteria are: (1) equality of educational access, (2) equality of educational participation, (3) equality of educational results, (4) and equality of educational effects on life chances.…

The changes in income inequality during the post-war period in Japan are investigated quantitatively and extensively in order to shed some light on the relationship between income inequality and the rapid economic development experienced in Japan. Following a presentation of some summary pictures on income inequality in the Japanese society the…

Both Kerala and Finland have made notable achievements in the realm of literacy: Kerala has one of the highest rates in the developing world and Finland ranks first in literacy among developed countries. Both also share a cultural history of granting women a high status in their respective societies. Using Kerala and Finland as examples, this…

This report identifies what policies can be effective in eliminating hard-core unemployment in Dublin and preventing its re-emergence in a new generation. An executive summary precedes the main body of the report. Chapter 1 describes the background of economic boom against which the persistence of long-term unemployment appears paradoxical;…

In this chapter, the authors examine developments in the teacher workforce and in the occupation of teaching across recent generations. They take their point of departure from the perspective of prevailing policy discourse on enduring problems of educational equity, asking not only how teaching has evolved in recent decades but more specifically…

Findings from the 1992 Generation survey carried out by Creq in 1997 among young people exiting the French school system indicates that work-related disparities encountered by young labor market entrants in France can be characterized according to the worker's gender. Obstacles facing women include the following: (1) risk of unemployment or…

Highlights significant findings from the report "Girls and Women in Education: A Cross-National Study of Sex Differences in Upbringing in Schools and Colleges." International comparisons indicate progress, but show that significant inequalities persist. Data are provided from 17 countries on women in higher education. (ML)

Examines educational provisions for ethnic and racial groups in Australia, comprised primarily of the aborigines and the migrants or non-English speaking immigrants. Discussion of the official policies of "self determination" and "multiculturalism" emphasizes the important differences between the two and the considerations…

Technology is helping to reduce the education gap between developed countries and those that are still developing. The following article gives one example of an innovative teacher training project where a western university, in Rome, Italy, is selflessly showing their African counterparts, in rural Rwanda, how to become fully autonomous in…

Prepared for a 1984 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) conference, this report begins by briefly describing research findings and proposals and recommendations for research on education and the new information technologies in selected member countries, i.e., the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Australia;…